Artist Interview with Elaine Brady Smith

Elaine Brady Smith is a persevering visual artist. She graduated from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh with an Associate’s Degree in Visual Communications. She has taken numerous workshops and classes since then and is an avid reader. “Ongoing involvement in the learning process is vital to me. I must continuously feed myself with knowledge to stay fresh with ideas and to grow as a visual artist.” Elaine has taught many classes over the years on subjects such as: Calligraphy, Decorative Painting, and Collage. She enjoyed teaching for many years at Penn State Harrisburg Kid’s College. She currently teaches Collage at the Art Association of Harrisburg. Elaine displays her art at galleries and businesses in the Central Pennsylvania area, and is active in a number of local art associations and online groups. She is also a wife, a mother, and works part time for a nonprofit organization.

MP: How do you describe yourself as an artist?

Words that I would use to describe myself as an artist would be: intuitive, instinctive, and intrinsic. A natural need to draw, color, cut paper, and glue things as a child was my first awareness of being an artist. I always felt it necessary to create as if it was an essential part of life. I don’t understand any other way to live contentedly with myself. Creating art gives me a voice to express myself in a language that is uniquely my own. After many years of experimenting with numerous art forms I now recognize what I like and don’t like to work with. I understand and acknowledge the years of struggling with fear to mature as an artist and to accept that being an artist is not measured by financial success, but by being happy to create and explore for my own satisfaction.

MP: Where does your inspiration come from?

I’ve always had a fascination with paper. I love the printed word, the rhythm of lines and symbols and the repetition of patterns on paper. This is probably what motivated me to learn calligraphy in my early years of art. I started collecting vintage papers, photos, postcards, and all sorts of ephemera long before I did any collage art. Basically the cart was before the horse and it took me a while to figure out that my collection of papers and my art needed to tie the knot. I also look for inspiration in music, song lyrics, and most importantly the art of my peers. Viewing the work of fellow artists always inspires me.

MP: As an artist we have many roles; which do you find to be the most rewarding and which the most challenging for you?

I absolutely live for those moments when I am so intensely involved in the process of art that reality just disappears. I have also been happy to discover the value of discipline and have learned that I do not have to wait for inspiration to strike but I can go after it whenever I choose. The challenge for me is the ongoing battle of finding enough time to pursue art with the time that is available. Balancing family, a job and being an artist can be quite the juggling act at times.

MP: Is there any time of day that you find you are the most creative?

I am definitely not a morning person. I must have sufficient time to wake up and meditate on the day…and have some tea before I am able to work. I guess for me it is not always about the best time of day…but the time of day when no one else is around. I love being alone in the studio knowing that there will be no interruptions during my creative session. Don’t get me wrong, I love my family, but I relish my time alone!

MP: Describe your creative space.

I finally have a huge studio in the basement of our new home. Our last house was 100 years old and my small smelly space in the basement was damp and full of bugs and spiders. I am living it up now with a real cement floor which I covered with linoleum. I like the fact that it is an unfinished basement and I don’t have to be careful about where I splash the paint. I do have it fixed up with a nice large drafting table that I use as my main work area, two long work tables for making papers, framing and other jobs, lots of book shelves for my ever growing art library and flea market finds, a whole lot of storage boxes for my paper collection, and of course a good music system. It’s not fancy, but I am very comfortable. I have received several requests to do private workshops and I hope to take over more space in the basement (much to my husband’s dismay) to create a classroom space.

MP: Do you have a favorite technique that you use a lot in your work?

In the past few years I have been including pieces of my vintage newspaper collection into my art and I feel that it has become part of my signature style. I have said when the pile is used up, well then that will be the end of that signature style. In mixed media I like to play with the combination of acrylic paint and papers. I also love putting Gel or caulk transfers of geometry diagrams, electrical or engineering specs into my art. I have a fascination with technical drawings and the beauty of their lines and patterns. The fact that I like them but really don’t understand them also gives me a chuckle.

MP: How has your work evolved over the years?

I see a waxing and waning in my art, an ebb and tide. I feel that as I grow and change as a person, my art also grows and changes. I am not as fearful these days as I used to be to do the kind of art that I want to do. I am not afraid to blaze my own trail and do art to please myself instead of trying to copying someone else’s style.

MP: Tell us about the collage workshop you teach and how it influences you as an artist.

Teaching collage has been very rewarding for me. I have not had a class yet that I haven’t taken home as much new information that I have learned from my students as they have learned from me. It is a wonderful give and take exchange of ideas. It is priceless to see them discover just how talented they really are. In a recent class my students had the opportunity to participate in an exhibit at an affluent arts and cultural center at the end of our session. I was so proud and excited to see some of them frame and exhibit their work for the first time ever. It was really special for them and for me.

MP: Do you have any upcoming projects/books/events/etc we can look forward to seeing in the future?

What’s around the corner is always a pleasant surprise to me and I am always open to new possibilities. I would like to have a book published on collage, mixed media and encaustic someday. I am gearing my workshop material and my online presence towards that goal. If the opportunity presents itself I would be ecstatic. In the mean time I am planning to offer some information packets on techniques for collage, mixed media and encaustic art that would be downloadable online. I am currently working on this project, and of course along with a million other things, so I don’t have a timeline figured into the plan just yet.

MP: Is there anything you would like the art world to know about you that we did not cover in our interview?

I would like to share three valuable points that I have learned over the years that have helped me along my journey:
1) Leave the fear behind you once and for all. Fear of doing art will never allow you to move forward either artistically or personally. Move forward and never look back.
2) In order to do good art, you must do a lot of art. Be prolific in whatever medium you choose. You can never do enough and you will change a little bit with each piece you produce.
3) There are many ways to be an artist. Don’t allow yourself to be pegged into someone else’s idea of what being an artist is really about. What it is about is what it really means to you! Be yourself!

Elaine, thank you for giving us a look into your artistic life.

You can see more of Elaine's art on her website and blog.